Thank you for visiting my website. I greatly appreciate the attention and admiration that my work receives and welcome everyone to appreciate my images. However, over the years, and with increasing frequency, I have been made aware of several attempts to steal my images and I am certain there are many more instances that have occurred without my knowledge.

For the record, when it comes to my images, and any content I have produced on this website or any other website, I am the sole copyright holder. If I find someone to be using my images without my permission I will take the necessary action required to put an end to such mis-use of my images, text, videos, etc.

Stealing images from any photographer should be treated with scorn, disdain and public shaming, unfortunately, with the advance of the internet and digital images and very little public awareness regarding actual laws about image rights, most people who do steal images assume they are not doing anything wrong.

To help visitors to this site better understand copyright rules, I have answered some common questions below.

Why do you care if people use your images?As an artist, the ability to control the distribution and sale of my images is the most important factor in ensuring that my images retain their value. No one would be motivated to buy my work if they can easily get it for free. My main products are fine art prints that are sold to collectors. For this reason, I do not upload high resolution images on the internet. On several occasions, people have attached their own names to my work and mis-represented it as their own. This also decreases the value of my work by creating confusion in the market. Buyers must be able to trust the source of the work they are purchasing, if this trust cannot be protected, the artwork loses value.

Isn't it true that once a work is posted online it lose copyright protection?Absolutely not! The person who created the work owns it and they have copyright protection forever, from the moment they create it. There are circumstances where a copyright owner may transfer ownership or temporary license for a work, but this is normally a contractual agreement and involves the artist being paid for the work.

I heard that it's okay to copy a work as long as you give the copyright owner credit? Sorry, this is simply not true. You can only use or copy a work if you have permission from the copyright owner. Some websites allow certain types of use of copyrighted materials, but it's best to check that out before you start posting their work online.

But if I alter the work or use a small part, then it's my own work, right?Nope, the only exception is if you are writing a review or critique of a work, this is something referred to as 'fair use'. Some blogs use images from artists and other content creators within the scope of fair use.

I am just using the image on my personal website, I am not making money from it, that's okay, right? Unfortunately, the law does not agree. You can argue that you are giving the copyright holder free advertising, but that does not change the fact that you are using the image without permission.